Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo: A Review

One of the first posts I ever wrote for TickTickVroom.com was a review of a bottle of Revolucion Tequila Reposado that my wife picked up for me during a business trip to Mexico City. I liked it quite a bit, and still do. In that post, I said: “It tastes like a tequila should taste,” an opinion I still maintain. However, recently I was graciously given a bottle of Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo (thanks again, Samy). Despite the fact that in the time since the Reposado review, I have narrowed the primary focus of TTV to cars and watches, I couldn’t resist adding to those original notes with a post on Revolucion’s top tequila, their Extra Añejo.

I first tried Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo after dinner last weekend at D’Tako Market in Sunny Isles, Florida (an AMAZING restaurant specializing in authentic Mexican fare, by the way). I was taken with it after the first sip; even more so after cracking open the bottle.

Unsurprisingly, the Revolucion Extra Añejo tastes like a more complex and better developed version of the Reposado. I tasted both the Reposado and Extra Añejo back-to-back, so the flavors were fresh in my head. The toasted caramel, fruity, vanilla and spicy notes from the Revolucion Reposado are present in the 80 proof Revolucion Extra Añejo but with the added complexity of coffee, chocolate and oak flavors.

Mouth-feel is lighter than you would expect, and the Extra Añejo has virtually no burn or antiseptic quality found in many tequilas, aged and un-aged alike. It drinks almost like a well-aged whiskey or brandy without the heft. There is a pleasant heat at the back of the throat and a lingering finish of vanilla and building spice that is quite pleasant and reminds you that you’re drinking a tequila. Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo is no doubt a tequila, but it a complex and sophisticated one meant to be enjoyed with a single ice cube and a book at the end of a long day.

The complexity of Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo is no surprise considering Revolucion’s distillation and aging process. Like most tequilas made using traditional methods, Revolucion uses 100 percent blue agave that are baked, juiced, distilled and aged. However, as with all things that are truly special, the devil is in the details.

Revolucion’s Tequila Master selects seven to nine year-old organic Blue Weber Agave cacti from their plantation in Tecolotlán, in the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico, the heart of Tequila country. They then bake the agave piñas in old-school brick ovens before extracting the juice. The resulting liquid is then fermented and double-distilled. Here’s where the true revolution comes into play.

After the distillation, the Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo is aged for 3 years and 8 months in French White Oak barrels that have held only tequila for at least 10 years. Those barrels are truly unique and are what give Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo its smooth and complex flavor. In case you’re wondering, most tequila is aged in bourbon barrels.

Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo retails for around $100, but if you’re in the mood for an ultra-premium tequila, it’s well worth it. According to Revolucion, the “Extra Añejo was previously reserved for the private consumption of our Tequila Master and the owners of the brand.” Thankfully, not anymore.

Revolucion Tequila is still a relative newcomer to the market, but more and more retail outlets are adding the brand. If you want to pick up a bottle of Revolucion Tequila Extra Añejo or Reposado (or any of the rest of their line: Silver, 100 Proof and Añejo), there is a locator here.